Grado Reference4

Grado Reference4

$1,450.00
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Grado Reference4

Grado Reference4

$1,450.00

Cartridge

The Grado Reference4 is the flagship phono cartridge of Grado’s hand-built Timbre Series. Built on Joseph Grado’s moving iron (flux-bridger) design, it combines the transient speed and resolution typically found in moving-coil cartridges with the higher output and electrical stability of moving-magnet options.

Ships within 15 days or less

Informations

Product description

The Grado Reference4 sits at the top of Grado Labs' handcrafted Timbre Series of wood-body cartridges. Built by hand in Brooklyn, NY, it combines Grado's signature moving iron generator system with high-precision components, delivering a warm, incredibly textured, and natural presentation.

Key Features & Build

  • American Osage Wood Body: Housed in dense Osage hardwood, which provides natural resonance control and gives the cartridge its rich, organic tonal balance.

  • Nude Shibata Stylus & Boron Cantilever: Upgrades from lower models to a nude Shibata diamond mounted on a rigid, ultra-low-mass machined boron cantilever. This delivers exceptional tracking, high-frequency extension, and precise detail retrieval without sounding bright or analytical.
  • Flux-Bridger Moving Iron Design: Retains the high transient speed and low moving mass of a Moving Coil (MC) cartridge while offering the robustness and signal strength of a Moving Magnet (MM) design.
  • Cryo-Treated Wiring: Internal coils use ultra-high purity 6N OCC copper that undergoes cryogenic treatment to maximize signal purity.
Specifications
Specification Value
Generator Type Moving Iron (Flux-Bridger)
Output Options High (4.0 mV) or Low (1.0 mV)
Stylus Profile Nude Shibata
Cantilever Machined Boron
Frequency Response 10 Hz – 60 kHz
Tracking Force 1.6 – 1.9 grams
Channel Separation ~30 dB (10 Hz – 30 kHz)
Cartridge Weight 9.6 grams
Recommended Load 10k – 47k Ohms (insensitive to capacitive loading)